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Thursday, October 31, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
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Friday, October 25, 2013
BIG DIAMOND GOES WITH DIRTcar SANCTION
Big Diamond has a longstanding tradition of sanctioning its weekly divisions, but the 2014 season will mark the first time DIRTcar Racing has sanctioned a weekly program at the 3/8-mile track in Minersville, which is just off Interstate 81 between Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
"DIRTcar Racing has a lot of momentum and good people behind it so we're excited to bring it to Big Diamond next year," promoter Jake Smulley said. "I'm looking forward to working with them and seeing how our racers stack up in DIRTcar's points program."
Big Diamond will continue to pay $2,750-to-win for their weekly DIRTcar 358-Modified program, which is one of the top "to-win" purses nationwide for weekly racing.
Big Diamond and DIRTcar management have a reached an agreement that will see the current rules package in place at Big Diamond phased into DIRTcar rules over a period of time, with management from both sides having input in regard to these regulations.
DIRTcar 358-Modified Series rules will remain intact for all Series events.
This sanctioning will mark the first time a DIRTcar division has run at Big Diamond since Duane Howard won a Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Series race there in 2009. Brett Hearn in 2004 and Alan Johnson in 2003 also won Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified races at Big Diamond. The Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Series will make an appearance at the popular facility on Tuesday, July 15, 2014.
"We're looking forward to building a solid foundation in Pennsylvania to continue growing DIRTcar Racing," said DIRTcar's Director of Series & Sanctioning Joe Skotnicki. "There is a lot of history at Big Diamond, and a lot of very talented racers, so we're excited to have the opportunity to partner with them."
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Saturday, October 19, 2013
KING OF THE CAN RESULTS
Modified Feature Finish (50 laps): BILLY
DECKER ($5,214), Matt Sheppard, Joey Grammes, Brian Weaver, Bobby Varin,
Anthony Perrego, Pat Ward, Jeff Strunk, Kevin Hartnett, Mike Mahaney,
Bob Henry, Elmo Reckner, Mike Colsten, Frank Cozze, Joey Colsten, Tom
McGurrin, Danny Creeden, Nick Rochinski, Mike Clapperton, Craig Hanson,
Mike Dougherty Jr., Brian Malcolm, Alan Rudalavage, Bob Trapper, Billy
Van Pelt, Tyler Dippel, Chris Wood, Stewart Friesen, Mike Schane.
Did Not Qualify: Brent Wilcox, Steve Wren
Jr., Ken Titus, Roy Shields, Adam MacGeorge, C.G. Morey, Shaun Walker,
Jeff Schell, Butch Green, Christine Martin, Tommy Meier, Tyler
Singleton, Steve Babicek, Richard Smith, Alan Johnson, Jim Mahaney,
Justin Holland, Mel Schrufer, Jimmy Davis, Danny Tyler.
Crate 602 Sportsman Feature Finish (25 laps):
RYAN OLSOMMER ($1,000), Alex Stanton, Tyler Boniface, Butch Green, Ed
Dachenhausen, John Hargrave, Mike Nagel Jr., Josh Keesey, Cory Costa,
Bob Buono, Mark Clauss, Jake Dgien, Rich Powell, Dillon Groover, Nick
Branning, Jim Britt, Earl Rudy, Kyle Plumstead, Steve Wren Jr., Ray
Bliss, Randy Gates, Shelly Stanton, Jamie Cortazar.
Street Stock Feature Finish (25 laps):
JONATHAN CARPENTER ($650), Ted Morseman, Paul Harrington, Earl Zimmer,
Randy Fox, Matt Spencer, John Hoover, Greg Krooker, Robert Hill, Kyle
Stark, Shane Wolf Jr., Chad Stone, Rick Davis, Steve Wren Jr., Rich
Green, Eric Boynton, Scott Reagan, Russ Morseman.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
BILLY PAUCH JR (Bruce Thomas photo)
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
SAXTON SIGNS OFF AT GRANDVIEW!
Saxton Signs Off At Grandview
Concludes 45-Year Announcing CareerSince 1968 Saxton, 71, of Langhorne, Pa., called all the racing action for generations of fans as the track announcer at the one-third mile oval in Bechtelsville, Pa.
Grandview is operated by the second and third generations of the Rogers family. Forrest Rogers built the track and opened it in 1963, and Saxton started working there in the late 1960s.
Based on a 22-week season over 45 years Saxton announced about 990 Grandview race nights. He said he missed no more than 10 events.
“Three of those nights were to attend White House Correspondents’ Dinners,” Saxton said. “You just can’t pass up those opportunities, and I did get to meet several presidents.”
He met a bipartisan trio of world leaders including presidents Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
Saxton enjoyed almost every race night he ever announced, and didn’t retire from the booth because he lost enthusiasm for the job.
“Announcing is still fun,” Saxton said. “My back has been bothering me for some time. Climbing the steps to the tower and sitting on a stool behind the microphone for four hours has been taking a toll,” Saxton said.
Saxton said that from the beginning he enjoyed working with the Rogers family.
“Bruce Rogers and I talked about me coming to work for him and I started doing PR and writing press releases for Grandview in the late 1960s. I started out as an employee, but it came to feel like family. I felt appreciated,” Saxton said.
“Ernie always did a great job and played a big part of Grandview Speedway’s success,” said Bruce Rogers, son of the track’s founder and head of the family business. “He got the word out about the track by doing PR in addition to his announcing.”
“He’s been with us a long time and we’re good friends,” Rogers’ wife Teresa said of Saxton. “We’ve vacationed together. “We hate to see him go.”
While his final race as the full-time announcer was on Sept. 14, Saxton will remain available on a fill-in basis and will continue to maintain a weekly presence at the track.
Saxton announced his first race at the Atlantic City (N.J.) Speedway in the early 1960s. He was the publicist for the American Three-Quarter Midget Racing Association. The track announcer wasn’t familiar with the division and asked Saxton, who knew all the cars and drivers, to stand in for him.
“I hadn’t announced a race before and I was shy about public speaking. I was worried everyone would be looking at me. The track announcer convinced me that the fans would be watching the races and wouldn’t even know I was up there in the tower,” Saxton said. “Things were going OK and a side-by side battle for the lead developed. I was excitedly calling the action when a potato bug flew into my mouth. I choked and coughed for most of a lap. By the end of the day I did well enough that I announced another race the following week.”
Saxton and wife Marilyn also operate Ernie Saxton Communications Inc., a motorsports consulting firm. The Saxton’s company will continue to conduct Grandview’s media and public relations efforts and publish the track’s souvenir program, Grandview Groove.
Saxton was a 13-year manager of marketing at Chilton Book Company when he struck out on his own to focus fulltime on Ernie Saxton Communications in 1989. The company publishes Motorsports Marketing News, presents seminars on short track racing marketing and sponsorships, and consults with individual teams on sponsorship sales efforts. Saxton will also continue as columnist for Area Auto Racing News and several other motorsports and mainstream newspapers.
Saxton believes that even in the era of social media, a lot of short tracks today could improve their marketing and public relations efforts.
“It takes more than Facebook and Twitter to market and promote a track. To make it all work, a track needs to practice good public relations,” Saxton opined.
Saxton said the late Jim Hunter, a NASCAR vice president who led NASCAR’s public relations department for years, was the best when it came to PR.
“Jim preached that public relations efforts are built on personal relationships. He was an encyclopedia of NASCAR racing because he was in touch with people at every level including the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. He could talk with Tony Stewart just the same as he could with any driver at Grandview Speedway.
“He’d pick up his phone and talk to promoters and racers and asked what was going on with them. He’d keep up with non-NASCAR tracks. He always wanted to see the big picture. He always found someone who knew something about whatever was on his mind.”
Hunter passed away two years ago this month. Saxton was among his closest friends.
“My greatest memory of Hunter is from February 2011. I received the Russ Moyer Media Award from the Living Legends of Auto Racing group during Speedweeks. Hunter was battling cancer, but he arrived at the event wearing a tux and went on stage to help present the award. Jim Hunter was an exceptional friend,” Saxton said.
Saxton said his own long-term success in multiple business platforms could not have been accomplished without the partnership and expertise of his wife of nearly 38 years. Their high quality Grandview Groove souvenir program is Marilyn Saxton’s project. Despite Grandview’s Saturday night race night, the next week’s souvenir program is taken to their longtime printer Bill’s Printing in Trenton, N.J. each Monday.
“Our work has gotten a little easier now that we’re both retired from full-time jobs,” Marilyn Saxton said. She was a travel agency consultant for about 25 years. “There are so many things to do and we always manage to make it work.”
Her step-father, Ed Darrell, was a car owner and promoter of the east coast-based American Racing Driver Club, so she’s a lifetime racer, too.
“I’d probably never accomplished anything without Marilyn,” Saxton said. “She’s a complete professional in what we do.”
“It’s been a good life,” Marilyn said. “We’ve seen and done things we never imagined because of Grandview Speedway.”
Her husband agreed.
“It’s been good.”
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
JESSICA ZEMKEN
Monday, October 14, 2013
BPG RACING CLOSE THEIR RACING OPERATIONS
CHAD SINON AND BPG
RACING CLOSE THEIR RACING OPERATIONS AFTER LONG SUCCESSFUL
EFFORT
BLUE BELL, PA
October 13, 2013 . . . “I will miss it, the competition, the friends, the whole
aspect of the sport,” said Chad Sinon as he announced that he closing his BPG
Racing team operations after many successful years. “We had a great run with a
lot of fantastic people involved.”
Much of the BPG Racing team
equipment has been sold and there are people looking at the rest. Everything is
for sale.
“We, my wife (Lauren) and I, have
talked about getting out for the last couple of years,” said the 47-year-old
Blue Bell, PA businessman. “It comes down to time available and wanting to do
other things. We are very much involved with our son’s sailboat racing, and we
always want to spend time with the kids. That is very important to
us.”
“The reason we stayed in the sport
the last couple of years was because of the great relationship we had with our
driver Duane Howard, crew chief Alan Finch and all the great team members. They
are all a wonderful group of people to have worked
with.”
Sinon and Howard had a great season
at NASCAR sanctioned Grandview Speedway winning nine 358 Modified feature races
including the Forrest Rogers Memorial presented by Pioneer Pole Buildings. They
also picked up more than $10,000 for winning the American Racer Cup
championship.
Over the years Sinon and his BPG
Racing teams, with some very talented drivers, have been able to win titles at
Grandview Speedway, Big Diamond Speedway, Bridgeport Speedway, DIRT Southeast
Series Tour title, four BPG Racing Freedom 76 races, three Forrest Rogers
Memorials, and the list goes on.
“I have had some of the very best
drivers as part of our team and they became like family members,” said Sinon.
“Our relationships with Duane seemed to go on forever. It was such a successful
combination. Sure we are going to miss it but it is time to devote more time to
our family.”
Sinon and his BPG (Brandon Products
Group), headquartered in North Wales, PA, has been a huge supporter of the sport
sponsoring many events and teams over the years. He had a great devotion to the
sport for more than a dozen years having gotten started at the Penn Can Speedway
with his late father.
As much as Sinon will miss the
sport, the sport will certainly miss Sinon and BPG
Racing.
SUPER DIRT WEEK FINAL RESULTS
Syracuse 200 Results
Finish
|
Start
|
Driver |
Laps
|
Status
|
Earnings
|
||||
1
|
16
|
Billy Dunn |
200
|
Running
|
$50,000
|
||||
2
|
7
|
Larry Wight |
200
|
Running
|
$25,000
|
||||
3
|
30
|
Ryan Godown |
200
|
Running
|
$15,000
|
||||
4
|
11
|
Tim Hindley |
200
|
Running
|
$10,000
|
||||
5
|
23
|
Duane Howard |
200
|
Running
|
$6,000
|
||||
6
|
35
|
Rick Laubach |
200
|
Running
|
$4,000
|
||||
7
|
13
|
J.R Heffner |
200
|
Running
|
$3,600
|
||||
8
|
6
|
Carey Terrance |
200
|
Running
|
$3,400
|
||||
9
|
21
|
Danny Johnson |
200
|
Running
|
$3,200
|
||||
10
|
25
|
Bobby Varin |
200
|
Running
|
$3,000
|
||||
11
|
20
|
Jimmy Horton |
200
|
Running
|
$2,800
|
||||
12
|
4
|
Jeff Rockefeller |
200
|
Running
|
$2,600
|
||||
13
|
10
|
Tim McCreadie |
200
|
Running
|
$2,400
|
||||
14
|
22
|
Keith Flach |
200
|
Running
|
$2,200
|
||||
15
|
2
|
Brett Hearn |
199
|
Running
|
$2,000
|
||||
16
|
8
|
Rob Bellinger |
199
|
Running
|
$1,900
|
||||
17
|
12
|
Dave Rauscher |
199
|
Running
|
$1,800
|
||||
18
|
31
|
Kenny Tremont Jr. |
198
|
Running
|
$1,700
|
||||
19
|
33
|
Vic Coffey |
198
|
Running
|
$1,700
|
||||
20
|
1
|
Stewart Friesen |
197
|
Fuel
|
$1,700
|
||||
21
|
29
|
Dominic Buffalino |
197
|
Fuel
|
$1,600
|
||||
22
|
3
|
Jimmy Phelps |
196
|
Fuel
|
$1,600
|
||||
23
|
14
|
Tim Fuller |
196
|
Fuel
|
$1,600
|
||||
24
|
9
|
Matt Billings |
196
|
Fuel
|
$1,600
|
||||
25
|
15
|
Billy VanInwegen |
195
|
Fuel
|
$1,600
|
||||
26
|
18
|
Justin Haers |
194
|
Fuel
|
$1,600
|
||||
27
|
34
|
Dale Planck |
194
|
Mechanical
|
$1,600
|
||||
28
|
38
|
Billy Decker |
191
|
Fuel
|
$1,600
|
||||
29
|
41
|
Peter Britten |
191
|
Accident
|
$1,600
|
||||
30
|
28
|
Donnie Corellis |
191
|
Accident
|
$1,500
|
||||
31
|
27
|
Ronnie Johnson |
191
|
Accident
|
$1,500
|
||||
32
|
19
|
Andy Bachetti |
191
|
Accident
|
$1,500
|
||||
33
|
45
|
Vince Vitale |
177
|
Brakes
|
$1,500
|
||||
34
|
32
|
Chad Brachmann |
147
|
Suspension
|
$1,500
|
||||
35
|
37
|
Eddie Marshall |
134
|
Mechanical
|
$1,500
|
||||
36
|
43
|
Tim Currier |
122
|
Mechanical
|
$1,500
|
||||
37
|
36
|
Pat Ward |
115
|
Engine
|
$1,500
|
||||
38
|
26
|
Alan Johnson |
88
|
Mechanical
|
$1,500
|
||||
39
|
42
|
Rich Scagliotta |
78
|
Engine
|
$1,500
|
||||
40
|
39
|
JaMike Sowle |
45
|
Mechanical
|
$1,500
|
||||
41
|
5
|
Matt Sheppard |
42
|
Mechanical
|
$1,500
|
||||
42
|
44
|
Eldon Payne |
40
|
Rearend
|
$1,500
|
||||
43
|
17
|
Tom Sears Jr. |
21
|
Mechanical
|
$1,500
|
||||
44
|
24
|
Gary Tomkins |
19
|
Mechanical
|
$1,500
|
||||
45
|
40
|
David Hebert |
0
|
Mechanical
|
$1,500
|
||||
| Margin of Victory: 8.875 seconds | |||||||||
| Time of Race: 2 hours, 42 mins., 58.960 secs | |||||||||
| Lap Leaders: Friesen (1-84); Coffey (85-109); Tremont (110-135); McCreadie (136-191); Friesen (192-197); Dunn (198-200) |
|||||||||
| Caution flags: 9 for 27 laps; 1 red flag (lap 191) | |||||||||
| Provisional starters: Britten, Scagliotta, Currier, Payne, Vitale | |||||||||
| Rookie of the Race: Carey Terrance ($100 gift card - JE Pistons) | |||||||||
| Pole Award: Stewart Friesen ($1,000 - Pole Position Raceway) | |||||||||
| Outside Pole Award: Brett Hearn ($1,000 - Page Trucking) | |||||||||
| Teo-Pro Halfway Award: Vic Coffey (Chassis & Body) | |||||||||
| Sharon's Toy Hard Luck Award: David Hebert($1,000) | |||||||||
| Sharon's Toy Hard Charger: Kenny Tremont ($500) | |||||||||
| Sharon's Toy Fifth Place: Duane Howard ($500) | |||||||||
| Sharon's Toy 10th Place: Bobby Varin ($500) | |||||||||
| Sharon's Toy Lap 51 Leader: Stewart Friesen ($510) | |||||||||
| Sharon's Toy 3rd Place at Halfway: Tim McCreadie ($500) | |||||||||
| Finall Running Sharon's Toy Compound Driver: Brett Hearn ($500) | |||||||||
| Highest Finishing NYSCCA Member: Larry Wight ($100) | |||||||||
| Best Appearing Car & Crew: Tim Hindley (Gater Racing News Prize Package) | |||||||||
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